A Bean Si's Woes
by AnimeGirl 144
Summary: Monster High is getting two new students, but Scarah isn't as thrilled as everyone thinks she'd be. Why is that? What is it about these students that's making Scarah withdraw? Can anything be done before it's too late?
1. A Promise

**If I owned **_Monster High_**, you best believe there'd be more Billy/Scarah in the webisodes.**

* * *

"So what's it like having Catty Noir in your club?"

Billy spat out the soda he had gotten from the vending machine, coughing afterwards to get rid of any liquid that might have remained in his lungs. After calming himself down, he looked over at his ghoulfriend Scarah, who was smirking to herself. School was out, but students were allowed to roam around Monster High for as long as they wanted, so long as they didn't damage anything. The couple was sitting on the front lawn, enjoying their time together.

Billy gave a quick glance around, and found no one within earshot, a major relief to him. Catty Noir had joined The Disappearing Club the day before, but the students had caught wind and swarmed the club room. It had been a disaster, but they managed to overcome it. Poor Catty had been a wreck afterwards, but through some clever thinking, Catty came up with a way to fool her fans. Earlier that day, when the crowd returned for more autograph signing, Catty had used a poster in the room to blend in, forcing the crowd to leave in disappointment and giving the young vocalist a place to be herself without the pressure of her fans. Billy and Twyla had sworn to her that they wouldn't tell a soul.

Scarah, of course, figured it out.

Billy had been thinking about it, and it was obvious Scarah would pick up on it once they were in close distance to each other. He was just thankful that she hadn't been part of the group that had swarmed Catty. The Disappearing Club meant a lot to him, and she supported him 100%. He was lucky to have found a ghoul like her. The bean si chuckled and nudged his arm. She had obviously picked up on that thought as well.

"You're not so bad yourself," Scarah said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone. She wants to fit in, and I don't want to ruin that for her."

Billy smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and squeezing.

"You really are amazing," he said out loud, because he knew that Scarah enjoyed hearing him say things out loud, even if she heard him say it telepathically.

Scarah smiled, closing her eyes and resting. The end of the day was her favorite time of day because she got to spend it with Billy.

"Did you hear?" Billy asked.

"Hear what?" Scarah asked, not moving her head to look up at him.

"We're getting two new students tomorrow," the invisible boy responded. "Headmistress Bloodgood asked me to give them the tour around the school. They're banshees."

Scarah tensed at the words. Yes, there had been rumors going around that they were getting new students, but there hadn't been any word about what type of monster they were. Many had speculated, but hearing that they were banshees debunked those completely. Still, hearing that they were banshees didn't bode well with the young bean si.

"Scarah?" Billy asked, noticing she had gone still in his arm.

"Don't let them know you know me," Scarah spoke up, her voice sounded odd to his ears.

"What?" Billy asked, shocked by her request.

"If they ask, don't let them know that you know me. Don't even let it be a thought," Sarah replied, still not looking up at him.

Billy blinked, trying to understand what she was asking him to do. It felt wrong for him to deny her as his ghoulfriend. Scarah heard his distress and gripped his hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. She knew it was a lot to ask from him, but she needed it done.

"Please Billy, just around them," Scarah pleaded. "Just for tomorrow."

Billy closed his eyes and sighed, squeezing her hand back. She heard his consent in her mind before he vocalized it.

"Okay," he agreed. "But just for them, okay?"

Scarah nodded.

"Just for them," she repeated, feeling at ease once again.

_Thank you, _she thought to him telepathically.

Billy kissed her on her forehead, right below her hairline. He still didn't feel easy about hiding the truth about he and Scarah if the subject was brought up, but he would do anything to make Scarah happy. And if keeping their relationship a secret from these two new students was what she wanted, then he would do it.

_But shouldn't she be happy about the new students?_

He didn't voice his question out loud, but he didn't have to. Scarah heard it anyways, and she clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to tell Billy that no, she wasn't happy about the new students.

Not in the slightest.

* * *

Billy arrived at the school bright and early so he would be ready for the two new students he'd be giving a tour to. They were banshees, like his ghoulfriend, but Scarah hadn't sounded happy about it. In fact, she had him swear that he wouldn't reveal to these two students that he knew about her. It still made him feel uneasy, but he made her a promise, and he wouldn't go back on it.

Billy became visible when he saw the two students walking up the steps to the front entrance. New students were required to arrive an hour before school started so they could traverse the halls easily. Billy smiled and waved at the two banshees approaching him. They looked twin sisters.

Both girls had dark green-tinted skin tone, and they had pupiless white eyes. The two had different hair colors and styles. One had short blond hair reaching her shoulders while the other had long purple hair reaching her waist. The girl with the blond hair wore a blue shirt, white skirt, and white heeled-boots. The girl with the purple hair wore a pink shirt, black pants, and black shoes. Both smiled at Billy.

"Hello ladies," Billy greeted. "I'm Invisi Billy, your tour guide around the school."

"I'm Shrie Bellcry," the purple haired teen greeted.

"And I'm Hollie Bellcry," the blond haired teen greeted.

"Shall we begin the tour?" Billy asked.

"Show us the way," Shrie responded.

Billy began guiding them through the school, pointing out whatever he thought was important for them to know. He filled his mind with other thoughts so that the two banshees wouldn't be able to pick up on Scarah. Billy still couldn't figure out why Scarah didn't want them to know about her; the two girls were friendly. Billy was showing the girls around the unground, in ground pool when they broached the subject of Scarah.

"I heard there was another banshee attending the school," Hollie brought up. "Have you met her?"

"Her?" Billy asked.

"Of course silly," Shrie giggled. "Banshees are females only."

"So have you met her?"

"No," Billy replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Can't say I've met her. Monster High's a big school, so it's easy not seeing someone."

"Oh what a shame," Hollie sighed dramatically, sticking out her bottom lip in disappointment.

"It would have been nice to meet a fellow banshee at this school," Shrie added, matching the disappointed look her sister wore.

For a brief second, Billy thought about mentioning Scarah to them. The two sisters looked so upset about not being able to meet a fellow banshee, and Billy just wanted to help. But before he could go and open his mouth, he remembered how Scarah had tensed up in his arm; how she made him swear to not say a word about her to the new students. No matter how much Billy wanted to help out these girls, Billy had a responsibility to Scarah, so he pushed the thought out of his mind.

"Who knows, maybe you'll find her," Billy said.

"Oh I hope so," Hollie said, glancing at her sister. "It'll be nice to have a fellow banshee to spend time with, right Shrie?"

"Of course Hollie," her sister agreed.

"Well, I hope you find her," Billy commented. "I'm sure you'll be able to come across her at some point in the school year."

Billy turned his attention back to their path. With his back turned, he didn't see the smirks the sisters sent each other. The trio continued their tour of the school, and Billy ended it by dropping them off at their lockers just as students began entering for the day.

"Well ladies, here's where I have to leave you. Do you remember where your first class is?" Billy asked.

"Yes," the sisters replied in unison.

"Thank you for the tour, Billy," Shrie said.

"You were very helpful," Hollie added.

"It's my pleasure ghouls," Billy responded with a smile.

"Will we be seeing you around?" Hollie asked, leaning in a little too closely.

"Maybe," Billy replied, taking a step back. "I mean, if I'm not-" he turned invisible "-invisible."

The Bellcry sisters giggled at his pun.

"Well Billy, I hope we'll see you around more often," Shrie said, walking away with her sister to their first class.

Billy returned to visibility and waved goodbye at their backs. He waited until the girls were gone before walking off in search of Scarah. He really wanted to know why she didn't want the two new girls to know about her.

* * *

Shrie and Hollie were on their way to class when they bumped into Frankie as she was moving away from her locker. All their books fell from the collision.

"Oh my ghoul, I'm so sorry!" Frankie apologized immediately, bending down and picking up all the books.

"Oh it's perfectly fine," Shrie said immediately, bending down to also help pick up the books. "We were walking too close to the lockers."

"I should have been paying more attention," Frankie said, standing up once all the books were picked up. "I'm Frankie. You must be the new ghouls, right?"

"Yes. I'm Shrie, and this is my sister Hollie," Shrie introduced.

"Welcome to Monster High. You're going to love it here," Frankie said. "This school is so nice and friendly."

"We can tell," the siblings said in unison.

"We were hoping to meet a fellow banshee," Hollie admitted, sighing a little sadly. "But it's such a big school. I'm afraid we might never see her."

"You mean Scarah?" Frankie asked.

The sisters looked up in hope. What were the odds that they would find an acquaintance of their fellow monster so quickly? The odds were certainly in their favor.

"You know her?" Hollie asked.

"Of course! She's a friend of mine," Frankie said. "I can show her to you right now if you'd like?"

"Really? Oh thank you, thank you!" Shrie said with a smile.

"It's my pleasure," Frankie replied with a smile, happy to assist the new students. "C'mon."

While Frankie led the girls to Scarah's locker, she missed the smirk the siblings sent each other.

* * *

**Shrie is short for shriek and Hollie is short for holler. Bellcry is a combination of bellow and cry. They're uncreative, I know, and I'm sorry for that.**

**Let the fun begin.**


	2. Sonic Scream

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, or following. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Scarah had debated on going to school, but she ended up doing so anyways. She wanted to make sure Billy was alright after his tour. She was still debating on if she wanted to tell him. She knew he was trustworthy, and he wouldn't look down on her...but she wasn't ready to tell anyone just yet. Not even her boyfriend.

_Does that make me a bad monster? _she thought sadly as she placed her books in her locker.

"Hey Scarah," Iris greeted, bouncing over to her friend.

"Hi Iris," Scarah greeted, happy for a distraction from her thoughts.

"Hey ghouls," Spectra popped up.

"Hi Spectra," the two girls greeted.

"Did you hear about the new students?" Spectra asked.

"Yeah, I heard they were banshees," Iris commented, not noticing the way her friend tensed up. "Isn't that something Scarah?"

"Yeah," Scarah replied distantly. "Something."

Iris and Spectra noticed the tone in her voice and looked at her in worry. Scarah heard their worried thoughts, and scolded herself for being such a downer. She closed her locker door, preparing herself to talk to them, when a vicious thought cut through her mind louder than everyone's around her.

_Mind-reading freak._

Scarah stumbled into her locker, thrown off by the sudden thought. Her action had spooked her two friends, both of whom quickly surrounded her, asking if she was alright. She heard their voices, distantly, but she was being pelted by two dominating thoughts.

_Outcast._

_Freak._

_A shame to your kind._

_Don't belong._

_Didn't think we'd found you, huh?_

"Scarah? Scarah!?"

Miraculously, the voices in her head went away, and she returned back to her body. Iris was clutching her shoulders, her eye wide in worry and concern. A small crowd had gathered around the three ghouls, trying to see what was wrong. Scarah blinked a few times to reorient herself. Before she could speak, Frankie walked through the crowd.

"Hi ghouls!" Frankie cheerfully greeted. "Scarah, guess who I bumped into? The new students: Shrie and Hollie Bellcry."

"Hello Scarah," the sisters greeted, a smirk on their faces.

Scarah paled upon seeing them. Immediately, her mind brought up her childhood memories. As the sisters walked closer, she was once again subjected to their thoughts, pushing away the memories.

_Stay away,_ Scarah pleaded telepathically to the sisters.

_Freak._

_Don't belong._

_No one wants you._

_So useless._

_Dangerous._

_Freak. FREAK._

Tears came to Scarah's eyes, worrying her three friends who were not at all used to seeing her so unresponsive. The twins ignored her distress and continued to advance towards her. Her undead pulse quickened in panic.

"Stay back," she pleaded under her breath. The twins showed no signs of stopping. "Stay _back!"_ Her instincts to defend herself kicked in, and she released a sonic wail on the twins.

Although the twins had been caught in the wail, so had Iris, Spectra, Frankie, and a few other students. Any student caught in her wail immediately fell to their knees, clutching their ears and screaming in pain. It was only when Scarah heard her friends screaming that she stopped the cries, realizing she had unintentionally hurt them. Scarah stared at her crumbled friends in distress and sadness, trembling as she realized what she had done.

"No..." she whispered in fear. "I..."

The twins had recovered, managing to lift their heads and send Scarah a fierce glare. Without needing to hear their thoughts, Scarah already knew what they were saying with their eyes: _Freak._ Terrified and distressed over her actions, Scarah stumbled against the lockers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

And then she fled. She ran past the students that had gotten closer, helping the injured students. Scarah's friends had tried to stop her, but the bean si wasn't hearing any of it; she continued to run through the halls. There was only one place in the whole school that she could escape to without being found, and that was where she was headed: the catacombs.

* * *

Billy nearly stumbled over his feet as he turned the corner that led to Scarah's locker. After giving his tour to the twins, Billy had caught up with Clawd and talked to him about casketball. Billy wasn't on the team, but he enjoyed the game, and liked playing against Clawd for fun. Just as Billy was about to leave, he heard Scarah's wails. He knew they were her's because only two monsters in the entire school could produce a sonic scream: Operetta and Scarah. He had heard Operetta's sonic scream once, and it sounded nothing like what was being produced. So that left Scarah, and Billy's undead heart immediately went into a panic upon hearing it. Why was Scarah screaming? What had caused her to rely on her second ability? Fearful and worried for his ghoulfriend, he ran off, and Clawd followed behind to see what was the matter.

The two monsters appeared on the scene, just after Scarah had run off. Billy and Clawd ran over to help up the ghouls, all of them looking worried and a little disoriented.

"Are you okay?" Clawd asked as he helped Iris up.

"What happened? Where's Scarah?" Billy asked while helping Frankie.

"I don't know. Scarah went unresponsive for a bit, then she went into distress and screamed," Iris explained. "She ran off just a moment ago."

"None of you tried to stop her?" Billy demanded, his question directed to the bystanders who hadn't been affected by the wail.

The crowd flinched a little at the question, mainly because of who it came from. Billy wasn't a mean or rough guy; he was friendly and a jokester. But Billy was worried about his ghoulfriend, and so his question was harsh. Scarah had never once needed to use her sonic scream before, and the knowledge that she had and then ran off worried Billy to the extreme. Clawd sensed the growing worry in the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay dude, we'll find her," Clawd offered.

"I'm already letting the others know what happened and to start looking for her," Frankie added, finishing her message on her iCoffin. "C'mon, let's start searching before she gets away."

Billy smiled, feeling a little better because of the actions by Clawd and Frankie. He, Clawd, Frankie, and Iris went off in the direction Scarah had ran down while Spectra phased off in another direction, using her natural ability to phase through walls to cover more ground. The other students filed away to either their lockers or their classrooms, leaving Shrie and Hollie by Scarah's locker. The girls stared at nothing in anger.

"She got away," Shrie commented.

"She's got them under her spell," Hollie added.

"We'll have to crush her," Shrie commented back.

"For good," Hollie finished.

Both girls nodded in affirmation, and walked off to start their own search for the ghoul.

* * *

Scarah didn't know the layout of the catacombs, so when she ran in, she simply went off in whatever direction her feet took her. She had made it a good couple feet into the catacombs before she tripped on a rock and fell forward. She didn't stand back up, and simply sat up with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as she cried into her knees.

She was lost in her crying that she didn't hear anyone walk up to her until there was a hand on her shoulder. Spooked by the sudden presence, Scarah jumped, glancing up at who had found her. It was Operetta, the self-proclaimed owner of the catacombs. The ghoul pulled her hand away and held up her hands in an attempt to calm Scarah down.

"Easy there sugah," Operetta said soothingly.

"Operetta," Scarah said, wiping away her tears as quickly as possible. "How did you find me?"

"I know this here catacomb like the back of my hand," Operetta said, practically reminding the ghoul of her claim on the underground system. "And I could hear you crying. So why don't you tell ol' Operetta what's got you so down and out."

"You'll laugh," Scarah said, wiping her tears.

"Honey, I only laugh at things that are funny," Operetta reassured. "And if you're crying, I don't think I'lI be laughing."

Scarah sniffled, still wondering if she should open up to Operetta. The ghoul would never hurt her intentionally; Operetta wasn't cruel like that, not like Hollie and Shrie. As she was deliberating, Operetta continued to press her. She wanted to know what was up, and she wasn't going to relent until she got an answer.

"Does it have anything to do with the new students?" Operetta asked.

Scarah looked up at her in shock, gaining a smile from the music queen.

"Honey, I'm not out of the loop just 'cause I spend my time down here," Operetta responded. "But guessing from your expression, it does have something ta do with them."

"Y-yes," Scarah answered.

"They're banshees, yeah?" she asked.

Scarah nodded.

"And you're not happy about that?" Operetta asked.

Scarah shook her head.

"How come?" Operetta questioned.

"I...I know them. From before I moved here," Scarah answered.

"And you're not happy about that? Why?" Operetta asked, taking a seat next to Scarah.

"They...They ran me out of my home country," Scarah answered.

Operetta's eyes widened.

"Come again?"

Scarah curled into herself some more, looking sideways for a little while to collect her thoughts, before looking back at Operetta.

"When I was a lass, I wasn't welcomed by the children in my village," Scarah explained. "Actually, I wasn't accepted by the adults there either."

"Well how come?" Operetta asked.

"Because I'm a psychic," the bean si replied.

"So?" Operetta asked.

Everyone knew Scarah was a psychic, and it wasn't that much of a big deal. Many students even envied her for her abilities. She didn't understand why that would be an issue.

"Because I'm the only bean si with psychic abilities," Scarah answered.

"Say what now?" Operetta questioned.

"I...I was born different. I had the ability to wail like all banshees can, but I was also born with the ability to read minds and talk telepathically," Scarah explained. "The others in our village...they weren't psychic, and they didn't like that I was different. They made sure I knew that I wasn't welcomed."

"How?" Operetta asked, her voice breathless from what she'd just heard.

"Anyway they thought appropriate. From words, to physical beatings to...to using their sonic screams on me," Scarah answered, a few tears falling.

"They beat you up? For being a psychic?" Operetta asked, feeling shocked but also growing angry.

She didn't like bullies. Oh sure, she would mock people to their faces, but only if they were on the same level as her; she never attacked someone weaker than her. The idea of a group of kids ganging up on one of their own for something Scarah couldn't control bothered Operetta greatly.

Scarah nodded, only fueling Operetta's anger.

"My mother got tired of them attacking me, so we moved here, where there aren't any banshees. For a long time, I thought I was free of them but...but now...They followed me."

"Ya need to stand up to them," Operetta addressed, getting to her feet. "You need to make them see that they can't do this to you any longer."

Scarah looked away from Operetta. She did tell them. They didn't listen. They continued their attacks, not caring for her opinion or feeling. They hated her, and nothing she'd do would stop that. Operetta watched the girl for a few seconds before hearing movement in the catacombs. Listening closely, it sounded like feet running and voices shouting. Shouting for...

"SCARAH!"

The bean si jumped, a little shocked to hear her name being called. She recognized the voices calling her, and she didn't want to be found looking weak, so she got to her feet, using the wall to help her. Just as she wiped her tears away, Billy appeared within eyesight. He paused when he saw her, perhaps a little surprised when he saw her, before he was running at her, pulling her into a hug. The other members of the search party (Frankie, Clawd, Clawdeen, and Draculaura) appeared and ran towards her, the other ghouls wrapping Scarah into a big group hug. Operetta watched from the side with Clawd, staring at Scarah critically. The bean si held Billy back, thankful for her boyfriend.

"Scarah are you alright?" he asked after a few moments of reassuring him that she was unharmed. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"We were so worried after you ran off," Frankie added.

"We tracked you here," Clawdeen added.

"What happened? You look so sad," Draculaura asked.

"I'm fine," Scarah answered. "I'm sorry, I just...I was a little stressed. I'm very sorry for using my sonic scream on you, Frankie."

"It's okay Scarah," Frankie reassured with a smile. "I wasn't even hurt, see? I'm just sorry if I did something to upset you."

Scarah shook her head.

"It's okay. I... I just reacted out of stress," Scarah responded. "You did nothing wrong."

"Are you sure?" Frankie asked. "Iris said you were in distress."

"Just... stressed over biteology," Scarah replied, hearing Operetta's displeasure. She knew Operetta wanted her to tell them the truth about the twins, but she just couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever. She only told Operetta because she had been in a moment of vulnerability. That was all.

"Well let's get to class before the teachers freak out," Dracualaura suggested.

"You know if you're stressed out, we could hold a study party so you'd feel better," Frankie suggested as they began making their way out of the catacombs.

Scarah smiled at the suggestion, but she didn't voice her opinions. She didn't move from Billy's arm, which was wrapped securely around her shoulder. He stared at her in worry; she didn't look alright; unharmed, yes, but emotionally alright? He paused his thoughts when he realized he hadn't thanked Operetta for staying with Scarah. Turning his head, he sent the music loving ghoul an appreciative smile.

"Thank you Operetta, for watching out for Scarah," Billy thanked.

"You take good care of her, Invisi Billy," Operetta said in response, a smile on her face, "or else I'll come after ya."

Billy just smiled, thinking she was joking, but Scarah knew that she wasn't. She was still looking at the bean si critically, telling her with her eyes to tell the truth. Scarah bit her lip and turned away, hearing Operetta's disappointment in her head. She closed her eyes, feeling guilty for ignoring Operetta's advice, but she wasn't ready to tell Billy or her friends what she told Operetta. It was stupid, considering she had spilled her biggest secret to a ghoul that wasn't a close friend of her's. It wasn't like she didn't like her friends, but what if she told them, and they rejected her? Or didn't believe her? She couldn't handle that.

"What are you thinking about Scarah?" Billy asked, breaking into her thought.

"Nothing," she replied, flushing a little from being caught in her deep thoughts. "Just about my homework."

Billy gave her a small smile, one that clearly said he didn't believe her, but still wanted to be there for her. He left it at that, gripped her shoulder in comfort, and continued for the exit. She smiled very briefly before lowering her eyes. She didn't want to lie to them, but it was for the best; hers and theirs.


	3. The Pranks

**Hello all and welcome to another chapter of **_A Bean Si's Woes_. **This chapter contains scenes of bullying, so if this offends you or is a trigger, I highly recommend you skip towards the bottom of the chapter. Otherwise, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Shrie and Hollie hadn't confronted Scarah the rest of the previous day, and Scarah didn't inform her mother about the twins arrival; she didn't want her mother to worry, and she certainly didn't want to leave Monster High. Spectra and Iris had immediately surrounded Scarah after her return to the surface, and didn't leave her side for the rest of the day, an action she was grateful for. Scarah still didn't tell her boyfriend and friends about her past with the sisters, and she wasn't sure when she'd do it; or if she would at all.

The next day, Scarah walked to her locker along since her mother had dropped her off earlier than usual. She opened her locker door, and black ink shot out at her and covered her face. The students around her looked at her and gasped, and a few gave a few chuckles at the prank. Scarah stood in front of her locker, mortified by the prank. It was only when she heard the few chuckles from random students that spurred her into action; she ran for the restroom, tears welling in her eyes.

Scarah was thankful the restroom was empty as she began cleaning up her face, washing off the ink and the tears that fell. She froze when she heard the door open, but was thankful that it was Draculaura that entered. The vampire looked very concerned, and a quick scan of her thoughts revealed that Draculaura had seen the prank. Draculaura grabbed some paper towels and began helping Scarah clean up the ink. Neither ghouls spoke, but Scarah sent her a telepathic thank you, which Draculaura answered with a smile.

Scarah closed her eyes and did her best to calm herself down. She knew that the twins had done this to her; the only pranksters she knew were Billy and Heath, and neither would pull a prank like this on her. No, this was done with malicious intent. The person wanted to mock her and make a fool of her in front of her peers, and from the few chuckles she had caught, she knew it had worked. The twins were proving they weren't going to let Scarah get away, and that made Scarah shudder.

After cleaning up the ink (none of it getting on her clothes, thankfully), Draculaura helped touch up Scarah's make-up that had been wiped off with the ink. It was at this point that Draculaura finally got the courage to talk to Scarah.

"I can't believe someone did this to you," Draculaura commented. "But who? Billy wouldn't dare do this, and I don't think Heath is cruel enough to do this. Annoy you, sure, but not hurt you."

"They didn't do this," Scarah replied, looking at the mirror.

"But then who?" Draculaura asked.

Scarah didn't dare answer the question, even though she knew who exactly it was. Draculaura wouldn't believe her if she told her; there wasn't enough proof.

"Scarah?" Draculaura asked, drawing her attention.

"Hm?" Scarah asked.

"Who do you think did this?" the young vampire asked.

"I don't know," she answered, glancing away for a moment.

Draculaura frowned, not because she didn't trust Scarah's answer, but because she was trying to think of who would do it. Maybe Toralei, but Toralei was mostly after Cleo and the fearleading squad; Draculaura had never seen the werecat antagonize anyone else. Scarah picked up on the thought, and she had to hide in a sigh. She really didn't need the Bellcry sisters befriending Toralei and the Werecat Sisters. That would spell a disaster for Scarah.

"There, pretty as ever!" Draculaura declared, pulling Scarah from her thoughts once more.

Scarah smiled at Draculaura.

"Thank you," she said, for both her help and her compliment.

Draculaura smiled and giggled.

"Anytime," she said. "Ready to head back out?"

Scarah took a deep breath and nodded. With Draculaura walking beside her in support, the two ghouls exited the restroom. Cleo and Frankie met them at the restroom, having just arrived. They had walked past Scarah's locker and noticed Clawd there, studying it intently. After learning that ink had squirted at Scarah, the two had rushed to the nearest restroom, which was just as Scarah and Draculaura exited.

"Are you okay?" Frankie asked.

"This wasn't Billy's idea of a prank, was it?" Cleo asked.

"No," Scarah stated quickly, shaking her head. "He'd never."

Cleo smiled and nodded, obviously relieved that this wasn't Billy's prank gone wrong. Then again, she'd never seen him pull a prank on the other ghoul (sneaking up behind her while invisible didn't count).

"But who did?" Frankie asked in concern.

"Probably Toralei," Cleo contributed to the conversation, growling out her rival's name. "This sounds like something she'd do."

"Perhaps," Scarah said half-heartedly.

"We'll have to keep an eye on her," Frankie commented, earning nods of agreement from Cleo and Dracualura. "Are you okay Scarah?"

"I'm fine," Scarah replied, having not answered the question when Frankie had asked it the first time. "It was just some ink, that's all."

"Let's go get your books and head for class, okay?" Frankie suggested, trying to be cheerful.

Scarah smiled and nodded, following her friends. As she walked back to her locker (thankfully her books had been spared), she caught a thought that made her shudder internally.

_This isn't over._

She didn't bother looking for who had said it; she knew the twins were in the area, and she didn't want to look at them. She wanted to acknowledge them as little as possible. She picked up her books and walked with her ghoulfriends and Clawd to her first class, which she shared with Draculaura. Iris met her in the class, looking at her in worry. Scarah smiled and sent a reassuring thought to her friend.

Class was about to get underway, and just before it started, she watched as the Bellcry sisters walked in. Seeing them made her insides freeze. They flashed her a smirk, and walked past her to the two open seats in the back of the classroom. Scarah followed them with her pupiless eyes; she hadn't remembered them being class with her yesterday. Why were they here?

_You'll never shake us,_ Shrie thought.

_We'll always find you,_ Hollie thought.

_We won't let you out of our sight,_ the sisters thought together.

Scarah closed her eyes, forcing them and other buzzing thoughts (_She was the one that ink was sprayed on!_ one thought; _Wonder who did that_, another thought) out of her head so she could focus on class. It was hard, feeling the glares the banshee twins were sending her, but she somehow managed.

* * *

"Scarah, are you okay?"

That question had been asked so many times, the bean si was beginning to grow annoyed. But this was her boyfriend asking it, so she let the annoyance disappear and instead offered him a small smile. His thoughts were running a mile a minute, trying to figure out who would have booby-trapped Scarah's locker and why. It was a little funny how everyone was making such a big deal about being hit by ink, but she guessed her actions the previous day worried her friends. It probably didn't help that her nerves were on end because of the fact that Shrie and Hollie were in every single one of her classes (not by some coincidence; Scarah knew there was no such thing when it came to those two). Pulling herself together, she nodded.

"I'm fine lad," she replied. "It was only some ink. Nothing permanent or damaging."

Billy frowned; he was happy she was alright, but she shouldn't take it so lightly.

_If only you knew,_ she thought with guilt.

"Scarah, someone did this on purpose to humiliate you," Billy commented.

"I know, but they haven't tried anything again, and there's no good in fretting over it," she replied, patting him on the shoulder.

Billy wasn't totally convinced. He was still disturbed that someone had done this to Scarah, but he'd set that feeling aside for now and focus on his ghoulfriend. Her actions the other day had really spooked him, and he wanted to be there for her at every opportunity. Scarah caught onto that last thought and smiled brightly, pecking him on the cheek in a show of thanks. Billy smiled and they continued on with their lunch. He would find out who pranked Scarah one way or another, and he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to confront them, but he knew he had the support of Clawd and Deuce, and those two combined would be enough to scare anyone away.

Billy, unfortunately, was thinking that it was some guy who had done it, and he didn't think that it had been the twins who were sitting on the opposite side of the creepateria, sneering in their fellow bean si's direction while plotting newer ways to torment the girl.

* * *

The prank had been performed on Friday, so Scarah was safe from Shrie and Hollie's schemes for the weekend. Even if the twins had found her at Monster High, she was sure they wouldn't come after her (the children never attacked her in her own home for fear of her mother's wrath). The weekend gave her a chance to calm down and prepare herself for the upcoming week. The twins wouldn't stop until they broke her, but she wouldn't let that happen again.

She couldn't let that happen again.

* * *

True to their nature, the twins struck at Scarah the minute the bean si was back at school. They once again broke into her locker and a water balloon filled with water struck her in the face, dousing her hair. There were a few more scattered laughs like there had been on Friday, but overall everyone was shocked that she had been struck for a second time. Scarah calmly collected her things, pulled out a rag from her purse and wiping the water off her face.

The twins didn't stop there.

On Tuesday, her locker was once again infiltrated, and another balloon shot out and hit her. Instead of water, this balloon was filled with tuna fish meat. She held in her tears and ran to the restroom, cleaning herself up and combating the smell with her perfume. Monsters she passed would occasionally look at her with a little chuckle, but others stared at her in sympathy. She had thankfully gotten the stench off of her, but she was still disturbed by the action.

On Wednesday, she tripped over fish lining as she was walking up the steps. Her books flew out of her hands, but she had managed to not hurt herself from the fall. A few monsters chuckled, but others were getting worried since this was the fourth time she'd been struck by a prank. Jackson, who was well-versed in being pranked on due to his heritage (that was before Heath, Clawd, Deuce and Gil brought him into their circle of friends), walked over and helped her up. Iris, also nearby, rushed over and picked up her friend's books, handing them to her. She thanked both of them and walked with them into the school.

On Thursday, in her third period class, her desk broke. She had gone to sit down in her seat, placing her books on it at the same time, and it fell apart under her, sending her to the ground with desk parts around her and a desk on her lap. The teacher had gotten upset, and scolded Scarah for breaking her desk. She heard the snickers of her fellow classmates. Robecca, who she shared the class with, glared at the monsters that had snickered and helped Scarah up off the floor, offering a supportive and apologetic smile. The bean si spent the entire class period in a chair on the side of the room, using a folder as her desk as she took notes.

Friday's prank had been the worst by far. She opened her locker door, but instead of something hitting her from the locker, a bucket of green paint fell on her, covering her completely in the stuff. Students were laughing a little louder than they used to, which brought tears to Scarah's eyes. Almost immediately, she had been pulled away by Lagoona and Frankie, who were guiding her to the showers by the pool. Clawdeen and Abby were handling the crowd, both of them growling at and scolding the crowd for laughing at a monster in distress.

After cleaning the ink off of herself and drying herself off (her clothes had been ruined and were unsalvageable), Lagoona and Frankie gave her their spare clothing. Neither of them took no for an answer, even when she protested.

"I'm in the pool so much, I pretty much make sure I have a spare set of clothing in case I fall in," Lagoona had explained while handing over a spare shirt.

"You know me, I'm such a klutz that I just started carrying around extra clothing just in case," Frankie had explained while handing over a spare skirt for Scarah to wear.

Draculaura, who had appeared with Clawdeen, helped fix Scarah's hair for her while Clawdeen was on guard duty with Abbey and Cleo (the latter ghoul having followed her friends down to the pool after hearing the news). Scarah blushed at how everyone was fretting over her. She was used to Billy fretting, but never from any of her ghoulfriends. It caused her mix emotions; happiness, embarrassment, and guilt. Billy had found her after the incident, worried and upset; worried for Scarah, upset that he hadn't found who'd done it. He had interviewed Heath and Torelei, but both informed him that they didn't do it. He was running out of suspects, but the person wasn't running out of ways to torment Scarah.

* * *

Lunch on Monday (after the week of pranking) was a shock for everyone in the creepateria; Operetta sat with Billy and Scarah. Operetta usually sat with Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus when it came to lunch time. However, Operetta decided she could stand by no longer and decided to take action. So she sat on the bench across from the couple, smiling like it was perfectly natural.

"Hey y'all," she greeted. "How you doing in your classes?"

Scarah and Billy were surprised, but Scarah quickly knew why Operetta was sitting with them. She wanted the bean si to tell Billy and confront the twins. Billy regained himself (it's not like he and Operetta weren't friends, so what was the big deal?) and smiled at the ghoul.

"You know, same as they always are. Are you planning on signing up for the musical number again?" Billy asked.

"Maybe," Operetta shrugged, even though she had plans to do so. She wanted to be a star, and she'd take every opportunity to be one. "How about you Scarah? Heard you've got someone tormenting yah."

"They're just harmless pranks," Scarah commented a little quietly.

"Harmless?" Venus asked, coming into the conversation and taking a seat next to Operetta. "It's hazardous to the environment! That green paint was full of toxic fumes!"

"And they grew nastier as the days progressed," Robecca commented, taking a seat on the other side of Operetta. "My dear that does not sound harmless to me at all."

"_Oui_," Rochelle added as she sat next to Billy. "I have looked high and low for the pranksters, but have found nothing. _Je suis désolé_."

"It's alright," Scarah reassured the Chief Hall Monitor. "They're just sneaky is all."

"I'm sure you'll catch them," Operetta reassured her friend, sending a look to Scarah.

Scarah looked down at her food, avoiding Operetta's gaze. She wasn't ready to tell them, not yet. Billy noticed her dampened mood and tried to think of a subject that would lift her spirits and take her mind off of the pranking.

"So Rochelle, are you going to try out for the dance again and beat Operetta?" Billy asked, getting a smile from Rochelle.

Robecca chuckled and nodded.

"Your dancing was spot on my dear," Robecca complimented.

"I honestly thought Mr. Where was going to cry from how beautiful it was," Venus added.

"You, Invisi Billy, cheated," Operetta accused, pointing a finger at the only boy at the table.

"Me?"

"Oh don't play stupid with your girlfriend around. I'll just have her read your thoughts," Operetta responded. "I know it was you who helped Rochelle get the part."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Billy responded with a smile. "I was just sweeping."

"You are a liar!" Operetta retaliated.

Scarah chuckled into her hand, feeling her mood brighten at the exchange. Operetta wasn't really angry; when she saw Billy changing directions to lift Scarah's mood, she played along. She was, however, honestly accusing him, but not maliciously. Rochelle came to Billy's defense, and Robecca and Venus laughed. Operetta let the issue go as the group talked about the new movie that was supposed to come out, and instead focused her attentions on her surroundings.

Most students who saw her sit at the table were no longer interested and had gone about their lunch in peace. But she wasn't looking at them; she had her sights set on the Bellcry twins. They were easy to pick out given how identical they looked to Scarah, and even though they were talking up some boys and acting like sweethearts, Operetta knew better.

The twins stared back when they noticed Operetta looking them. They sent her questioning looks, and she answered back with a glare. The twins responded with a glare of their own, annoyed that a monster they didn't even know was glaring at them. Noticing that she sat with Scarah, the twins had an idea that Scarah had somehow told the girl about them. It annoyed the twins greatly, but when they glanced over at the table that was being used by the students they had seen helping Scarah out, a new plan came to their minds.

Scarah wasn't breaking down as quickly as they had hoped because she had friends helping her. They needed to get rid of the friends before they could continue with the torture. Once they created a division between Scarah and her friends, the girl would break easily.


	4. Working the Friends

**Compared to the other chapters, this one is a little shorter, but I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Hollie and Shrie were enjoying their time at the high school, specifically the torture they brought upon their fellow banshee. They despised Scarah with such a passion that not even the most fearful human of a monster could replica. It was a personal issue, because they found Scarah to be too different from who a banshee was and supposed to be. And they wanted Scarah to punish because of it. And she would; they would make sure of it.

After a successful week of setting up elaborate pranks used against Scarah, they moved onto a new tactic: schmoozing the friends. Planning out for this next step in their torturing progress had been easy for Hollie and Shrie. They were master tacticians, always planning their next move carefully so that there wouldn't be any mistakes. They never struck without going over every possibility. So, before they were to socialize with Scarah's friends, they observed them. The twins studied the ghouls that Scarah normally talked to, catalogued their characteristics, and began plotting ways to respond in ways that would put the sisters on the friend's good side. Once they were sure they had everything planned, they struck.

* * *

The twins' first target was Frankie. They figured she would be the most gullible considering how bubbly she had been when they first met. They found her easily enough, and with a nod to each other, Shrie and Hollie walked over to her. They smiled sweetly at her when she closed her locker door.

"Hi, Frankie, was it?" Shrie greeted the ghoul.

"Huh? Oh hi!" Frankie greeted happily. "Uhm...sorry, I seem to have forgotten your names."

"Shrie and Hollie," Hollie explained with a smile. "It's okay, we haven't talked to you since we got here."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Exciting first day though, huh?" Frankie asked.

"Yeah, but Scarah hasn't talked to us since," Shrie said with a sigh.

"It's really sad how she keeps avoiding us," Hollie added. "I wish we knew why she didn't like us."

"Oh no, no! She's not mad at you two. She's just under a lot of stress," Frankie explained. "I'm sure she'll be better once the stress goes away. You know how school can be."

"I hope so," Hollie sighed. "It hurts that we can't be friends with her."

"Would it be alright if we sit with you at lunch?" Shrie asked. "You're one of the friendliest faces we met when we first got here. We would have tried to sit with Billy, but he's with Scarah and I don't think they'd welcome us."

"Of course you can. Me and my ghouls would be happy to sit with you," Frankie said.

Shrie and Hollie smiled at the ghoul, and poor Frankie wasn't aware for what she was about to do. Manipulating ghouls was so easy.

* * *

Scarah stared at the lunch table that was occupied by Frankie and her friends. Frankie was guiding Hollie and Shrie to the table, which terrified Scarah greatly. Operetta was also watching, glaring in their direction in annoyance. The twins briefly caught their glance and smirked at them.

"Hey ghouls, this is Shrie and Hollie, the banshee sisters," Frankie introduced to her friends.

"Hello," her friends said.

"Shrie, Hollie, these are my friends: Lagoona, Clawdeen, Cleo, Ghoulia, Abbey, and Draculaura."

"Hello," the twins responded, sitting down.

"Okay okay, what number am I thinking of?" Draculaura asked.

"Hm...Oh, Clawdeen, that's a lovely top," Shrie replied, focusing on Clawdeen's outfit.

"What this?" Clawdeen asked, looking down at the purple jacket she usually wore.

"Yes, it looks amazing on you," Shrie stated.

"I could never wear it as well as you do," Hollie added. "It looks like it was practically made to be worn by you alone."

Clawdeen smiled at the compliment.

"And Draculaura, your shoes are just fab," Shrie complimented.

"You think so?" Draculaura asked, giggling a little and forgetting she had asked a question.

"They match your outfit so perfectly," Hollie added.

"Hmm, you girls know your fashion," Cleo remarked.

"We try," the twins responded.

"How are you girls enjoying the school?" Lagoona asked.

"It's so welcoming," Shrie replied. "But we wish to be more involved."

"Have you thought about joining some sports?" Lagoona asked.

"Like the swim team? Oh no. We couldn't possibly compete with you and your partner," Hollie answered. "You two are so amazing, there's no need for us."

"But a music club may be up our alley. Especially if it deals with folk songs, like Himalayan Yak bands," Shrie added.

"You like the Yaks?" Abbey asked in awe, happy to find other monsters who liked her taste in music.

"Of course," the twins said excitedly. "They're our favorite."

"I love the Himalayan Yak bands!" Abbey responded happily. "I have all cds."

"Even the live versions?" Hollie asked.

Abbey nodded happily. She began to sing one of her favorite songs and Hollie and Shrie joined in. The banshees couldn't sing loudly like Abbey, but they still sang. Their friends politely listened to the song, even though they wanted to tell them to shut it because it wasn't that pleasant sounding. When the three ghouls finished their song, they began talking about boys, the universal female topic.

Frankie sat on the side, grinning happily and sparking at the bolts. She was so happy to see that the two banshees were getting along. She remembered what it had been like to be the new ghoul at school, and how scary it had been to know no one. Her goal was to always help the new students in need.

None of the ghouls at the table noticed the small look of victory that was shared between the sisters. The ghouls were playing right into their hands the more they complimented them (Cleo was the easiest to manipulate due to her ego) and talked, and by the end of the day, Hollie and Shrie had become a part of the group.

* * *

Hollie and Shrie didn't stop at Frankie and the gang. The twins knew that Spectra, Iris, and Hoodude were also close friends of Scarah's. Becoming friends with them was easy. They talked to Spectra about stories that Spectra could use for her blog. For Iris, they talked about astronomy, which was Iris' passion. Hoodude was the easiest because of how trusting and caring he was. The girls just paid attention to him and he fell under their control easily. Once all was said and done at the end of the day, Hollie and Shrie had infiltrated themselves into Scarah's group of friends. They didn't bother going after Operetta, Venus, Rochelle, or Robecca.

Operetta had made it known through her body language anytime the twins saw her that she wasn't falling for their tricks. Scarah had to have gotten to her before they could. Swaying the girl would be impossible at that point. They had learned that Venus, Rochelle, and Robecca were more of Operetta's friends instead of Scarah's; they merely sat with Scarah at lunch because Operetta was now sitting there. Because of that, the twins didn't feel like wasting their time or energy.

* * *

Scarah was disturbed by how well her friends got along with Shrie and Hollie. She knew instantly what they were doing, and it disturbed her on how well and quickly they could do it. The more they socialized with her friends, the more they were going to create a divergence between her and them.

She was only thankful that they hadn't gone after Operetta and her friends, who had begun sitting with them at lunch. Her biggest fear was Billy. Billy was a monster with a big heart, and he could be manipulated without him knowing. If the Bellcry sisters got to him, then Scarah knew she'd be done for.

* * *

All went according to plan, and so they turned their attention to Billy. Billy, as they had learned, was Scarah's boyfriend. This meant that he was her greatest supporter, and they had seen him comfort her on more than one occasion, usually bringing back her smiles and making her feel good about herself. They needed to drive a wedge between the two. Once they did that, Scarah would be open for an attack.

They had been studying him for the past couple weeks, and they had a pretty good idea on how to go about it. Billy was a sensitive guy who would always do his best to cheer up any female that was upset. They were going to use that to their advantage. They waited until after he was done playing a game of casketball with his friends before striking. As she walked down the steps of the school, he noticed the two ghouls sniffling on the bottom steps. Worried, he rushed over.

"Are you two alright?" he asked in concern.

"Oh! Billy," Shrie said, wiping her eyes. "No, no we're not alright."

"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting beside them.

"It's just...the school is so nice and everything, but Scarah still won't talk to us," Hollie answered.

"We've tried being her friend, but she just runs from us and tells us to leave her alone," Shrie added. "We don't know why she hates us."

"She doesn't hate you," Billy reassured. "Scarah's just been under a lot of stress and it must have gotten to her pretty bad. But she doesn't hate you."

"Are you sure?" Hollie asked hopefully.

"We really just want to be her friend," Shrie expressed.

"I'm sure of it. I'll talk to Scarah about it tomorrow, how's that sound?" Billy asked.

"Oh thank you Billy!" Shrie and Hollie cried, wrapping Billy up into a hug. "You're the best."

Billy blushed at the compliment and hug. He gave them pats on the back before untangling himself from them. He bade them farewell when he saw they were doing better, not at all noticing the victorious smirks they wore. Just like the ghouls, Billy had fallen for their charm. Their plan was coming together more and more.

Operetta, who had been keeping a close eye on them since finding Scarah in the catacombs frowned in disgust. She hated how everyone was falling under their whims and charm, but she wasn't going to interfere. This was Scarah's issue, and the bean si needed to handle it on her own.


	5. Creepateria Incident

**Hello all and please enjoy another chapter.**

* * *

Scarah entered the creepateria alone the next day, slightly worried about what would happen. She had avoided Frankie and the ghouls because of their connection to Hollie and Shrie, Billy was playing some casketball with his friends on the outside court, Iris was charting a star map for fun in the library, and Hoodude was practicing for an upcoming play. Even Operetta, who had begun hanging out with the bean si in hopes that Scarah would finally reveal the truth about the twins to her friends, was away; she was in the catacombs jamming with Johnny Spirit. This left Scarah alone and open for an attack by the twins.

She was spot on.

She was midway through eating her meal at her table alone when the twins came over and sat across from her. Scarah froze the moment they sat down, mentally shielding herself from them. She didn't want to hear what they had to say. They smiled at her sweetly, but Scarah knew better. It was just a front so no one else around them would notice or suspect a thing.

"Please go away. I'm trying to enjoy my meal in peace," Scarah stated quietly so only the twins could hear; she didn't want any werewolves picking up on their conversation.

"Go away? But we just want to be friends Scarah," Hollie replied, blinking at her innocently. "Don't you want to be our friend?"

Scarah shook her head at them, keeping silent.

_That's not nice Scarah,_ Shrie thought viciously, breaking through Scarah's thoughts.

The bean si looked at the twins in shock; she thought her shields had been placed up properly.

"Why do you hate us?" Hollie asked out loud, sadly. "We try and try and you won't let us."

_You know why,_ Scarah thought back.

_We do,_ Hollie thought back with a taunt in her tone.

_And no one wants to be your friend. Not after they learn the truth,_ Shrie thought.

_Who would want to be friends with a freak?_

_A liar?_

_A shame?_

Scarah closed her eyes and held her head, trying to keep the thoughts out. Other thoughts from her fellow students started trickling in, fighting for dominance in her mind. The twins smirked upon seeing her torment and continued to assault her.

_You feel safe here because you lied._

_They'll figure out you're a liar._

_Billy will figure it out._

Scarah's eyes widened with tears at the mention of her boyfriend. She had been able to keep some composure, but the mention of her boyfriend began to make her crumble. Seeing that they had struck a nerve, the Bellcry sisters continued their assault.

_He won't love you._

_He'll leave you._

_He'll hate you._

Scarah shook her head, but the twins continued to scream at her that Billy would hate her if he ever found out the truth. She stood up, attempting to run from the twins, but her feet wouldn't move; they were glued to the ground. Students turned to look at her, curious on what she was doing. Many who remembered what she had done in the hallway weeks earlier took precaution and moved away.

"Please stop," she whispered; pleaded. "Please."

_He'll hate you forever._

_And you'll be alone like you deserve to be._

_**Enough! **_Scarah screamed telepathically.

At the same time, she opened her mouth and used her wail on the twins. The twins were prepared, having watched for her breaking point, and used their own wails on her. The twins stood to get a better leverage against her. Everything around them broke as the high-pitched sonic screams assaulted them; students caught from the backlash fell to their knees in pain. None of the ghouls took notice, too focused on attacking each other.

Scarah held her own to the best of her abilities, but Hollie and Shrie were using their screams together, and their combined forces were enough to send Scarah into the wall, causing a little dent from her hit. She crumbled, her wail dissipating, knocked out by the sonic wails and the hit into the wall. The twins stopped their wails when they saw their opponent crumbled against the wall.

Rochelle rushed into the creepateria, looking for the disturbance. She found Scarah within the little dent she had made, completely knocked out. She ran to the girl's side and quickly checked on the unconscious girl. Her pulse was steady, and there were no physical blemishes to be found. After doing a check up on the ghoul, Rochelle stood up to address the two sisters and the crowd that had gathered around.

"What happened?" she questioned.

"Scarah attacked us," Hollie answered. "We were trying to befriend her and she just attacked us for no reason."

"It's true," a random student spoke up. "Scarah just freaked out and used her sonic wail."

"We stopped her from harming anyone else," Shrie added.

More voices of agreement piped up. Rochelle frowned, but nodded, knowing what her job was. Even if she felt like something was strange about the situation, she still needed to have the issue at hand addressed. She bent back down and lightly nudged Scarah until the bean si awakened, looking up at gargoyle.

"Rochelle?" Scarah questioned, her voice rough and eyesight hazy.

Her head began to throb in pain, forcing her to place her head in her hands. Her head was reeling from the pain she had suffered from Hollie and Shrie's sonic wails, and because of her disorientation, the thoughts from her fellow students began to assault her mind. All of them were louder than normal, making her head throb hard. A hand at her shoulder made her look to the owner.

Rochelle was very concerned. She'd never seen Scarah so hurt and disoriented. The gargoyle helped the bean si to her feet, keeping a stony hand around the girl's upper arm to support her. Scarah willingly accepted the help, a hand still cradling her pounding head. Rochelle looked over at the twins, not releasing her hold on the bean si.

"You two, please, follow me. We must talk to the headmistress," Rochelle instructed.

The sisters nodded in agreement and followed Rochelle, just as the bell rang and everyone went to their classes.

* * *

Headmistress Bloodgood was shocked when she saw Rochelle walk in with a sickly looking Scarah and the Bellcry sisters. The Chief Safety Officer helped Scarah sit in a chair in front of the headmistress while Shrie and Hollie took the seats next to the bean si. Once sure Scarah was in her seat, Rochelle addressed the headmistress.

"Headmistress Bloodgood, I arrived to the creepateria had found a fight had taken place," Rochelle explained. "Witnesses say Scarah had begun it."

The headmistress looked at the three students that sat before her with a poker face on her profile. She was disturbed to know that the three of them had started trouble, especially since none of them looked like troublemakers.

"Now ghouls, you know Monster High condones violence," Bloodgood began.

"We know, ma'am," Shrie replied. "But Scarah was going to hurt the other students if we didn't step in."

"We only did it to protect the others, we swear," Hollie added.

"Is this true?" Bloodgood asked Scarah.

Scarah had never been a problem before, and she was curious to hear her side of it. The bean si wouldn't raise her eyes to look at Bloodgood, keeping them focused on her hands that rested on her lap. Slowly, Scarah nodded. Concerned for her student, Bloodgood dropped her poker face and stared at her in concern.

"Scarah, are you alright?"

"Yes, headmistress," Scarah responded. "My mind is disoriented."

"I found her unconscious, _mademoiselle_," Rochelle supplied.

"I see," Bloodgood responded. "Shrie, Hollie, please go to your classes. I wish to speak with Scarah alone."

"Of course ma'am," the sisters said, getting up from their seats and leaving.

Scarah closed her eyes briefly before forcing them open. She then sat up straight and looked at the headmistress straight in the eye.

"Scarah, are you sure you're alright?" Bloodgood asked.

"Yes, ma'am. It's just a headache," Scarah responded.

"And nothing else?" Bloodgood pressed.

"No," Scarah responded after a second of hesitation.

The headmistress had heard the hesitation and knew something was wrong, so she stayed silent, hoping it would promot Scarah to confess. After a few seconds of silence, however, the headmistress came to the conclusion that Scarah would remain silent. In resignation, she sighed and nodded.

"Very well," she commented. She took a few minutes to deliberate with herself. "I'm letting you off with a warning this time Scarah. You've never caused trouble before, so I'm going to let this incident off on a warning, alright?"

Scarah nodded in agreement, surprised that she was being let off with a warning. She had thought, for sure, she would be suspended. Bloodgood nodded, writing on a pad and handing the slip to the granite-skinned monster.

"Rochelle, please escort Scarah to class," Bloodgood requested.

"_Oui_, headmistress," Rochelle agreed.

The two monsters left the office, walking down the quiet hallway. There was an awkward silence that hung around the two, neither of them knowing what to say. Scarah was thankful for the silence, however, since it didn't bother her throbbing headache (which was slowly ebbing away thanks to the lack of other minds besides the gargoyle's). When they made it to the class, Rochelle handed the paper slip to the teacher. Before she left, she sent Scarah a sympathetic smile. Scarah didn't smile back and simply went to her seat, ignoring the curious looks the other students sent her.

By the end of the period, everyone knew what went down in the creepateria.


	6. Truth Revealed

**Thank you for all the reading and reviews!**

* * *

"I'm really worried about her. She won't respond to any of my messages!" Hoodude complained, hitting his head repeatedly against the lockers. "Have I done something wrong?"

Billy closed his locker door, rubbing his head viciously. He grabbed the hem of Hoodude's Monster High jacket, preventing the voodoo doll from hitting the lockers again. The stuffed being had a way of being dramatic, and anytime he injured himself, the pain would be felt by anyone in the vicinity. Right now, Billy was feeling the stinging effects in his head.

"Hoodude, I'm worried about Scarah too, but you don't need to over react like this," Billy explained, feeling the pain subside. "Whatever's wrong with her, I'm pretty sure it isn't your fault."

"But what is wrong?" Hoodude asked.

Billy released the voodoo doll, and when he saw that the student wouldn't cause anymore self-harm, crossed his arms.

"I honestly don't know. She won't tell me anything," Billy replied sadly. "It's like she's withdrawing herself away from us, and I can't pinpoint why."

"Will you talk to her?" Hoodude asked. "Between the two of us, she'd tell you more than me."

Billy didn't even hesitate to nod his head.

"I plan to. I want to help, and I'm going to make her see that," he said, turning invisible. "Just leave it to me, okay?"

"You're the man Billy!" Hoodude cheered in happiness.

In his glee, Hoodude tried to give Billy a hug, but he only ended up with an armful of air. Billy chuckled and went off in search of his ghoulfriend, leaving behind a confused voodoo doll.

He had been honest when he said he was worried about her. It had been a week since the creepateria incident, and Scarah had withdrawn herself from her friends since that day. Billy had heard the rumors going on about her and what happened in the creepateria. He didn't know what to do about them, and he didn't know what to do about Scarah, who wouldn't meet up with him at the end of the school day like she used to. It was heartbreaking to see her distancing herself from everyone who cared about her, so Billy was going to put a stop to it however he could.

Finding her was the first order of business, and thankfully, that wouldn't be too hard to do. The girl was at her locker, finishing up grabbing whatever books she'd need for class, when she sensed his presence. She shook her head and locked her locker door.

"I don't want to talk right now," Scarah said.

Billy turned visible, and grabbed her hand. Once he had a secure grip on her, he began to lead her to the catacombs, where they would be able to talk in private. Scarah, however, didn't want to talk at all. She attempted to pull out her hand a couple times, but her boyfriend kept a tight hold on her. By this time, they had gained the attention of the students they passed by.

"Billy, I said I don't want to talk," Scarah repeated.

"We need to talk Scarah. Something's going on with you, and we're getting worried," he replied.

"We?" she questioned.

"Me and your friends," he answered. "These past few weeks you've been avoiding us and we're starting to get worried."

"There's nothing to be worried about," Scarah responded, looking away briefly. "Let me go Billy."

"Not until we fix whatever is wrong with you," Billy replied stubbornly.

Scarah flinched at his words. He would never know, but for a brief second, Scarah was reminded of her childhood, when the village doctor had offered to "fix" her of her powers. Billy wasn't referring to it in that way, logically she knew that, but the pain still shot through her. She persisted more fervently once she caught the thoughts of her fellow students.

"There's nothing to fix. Everything's fine," she insisted.

"Something's wrong. You won't talk to me, or to Hoodude, or to Iris, or to anyone!" Billy responded in worry.

"Please Billy," Scarah pleaded, tears pricking her eyes. She didn't want to have it out, especially not with so many monsters listening in.

"We're trying to be here for you Scarah, but you're blocking us out," Billy continued his rant.

"Please," she tried again, but it went unheard.

"Why won't you let us help you? Why are you ignoring us?" Billy questioned.

Scarah couldn't handle it anymore. Billy was ignoring her requests. Why couldn't he understand she couldn't talk about it? Why didn't he understand that she didn't want to talk about it? She couldn't handle it, and allowed her emotions to get the better of her.

"Let me go Billy," she requested in a quiet voice.

"Scarah-"

"We're over."

Billy stopped walking, feeling Scarah come to a stop behind him. Turning, he looked at the bean si with wide eyes. Scarah kept her eye sight on the floor because she wasn't sure she would be able to go through with it if she looked at him.

"We're...what?" he asked, his voice showing how he was unable to understand the concept.

"Over," Scarah answered. "You're not listening to me, and I can't handle this...I need some space...Please, let me go."

Billy couldn't come up with anything, and his hold on her went limp. She was able to break free, and turned on her heel. Before she left, she looked over her shoulder and looked ready to say something, but she stopped at the last second and simply ran away. Billy didn't try to stop her and no one dared to get in her way. The crowd watched her leave before looking over at Billy. The invisible boy looked heartbroken, standing motionless in the hallway. When a monster stepped forward, perhaps to comfort him, he turned invisible and ran.

He needed to get away.

From the far side of the hallway, a pair of sisters smirked to one another and went off in the direction Scarah had run in.

* * *

"Say it isn't so!" Hoodude cried dramatically, falling to the ground and pounding on the hard soil. "Say it isn't so!"

"Calm down, Hoodude," Frankie said in comfort, walking over and placing a hand on her creation's shoulder.

"This is so sad," Draculaura commented sadly.

Billy didn't look up at the gathered members. He was in the Catacombs, sitting on a slab of rock with a few of his friends circled around him: Frankie, Cleo, Deuce, Draculaura, Clawd, Clawdeen, Twyla, Iris, and Hoodude. They had heard about the break up in the hallway and had searched for the boy. Clawd had been the one to locate him in the Catacombs, and the vanishing boy had explained to the group what had happened in the hallway.

"This doesn't sound like Scarah at all," Iris commented. "What could have pushed her to do this?"

"I don't know," Billy whispered.

"It's those Bellcry girls," Operetta's voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at the ghoul, eyes wide in shock. Operetta walked towards them with a stern look on her face.

"The banshee twins?" Cleo asked. "What do they have to do with this?"

"Everything," Operettta responded. "Have none of ya'll noticed that Scarah's behavior began when those two arrived?"

"Well now that you mention it..." Frankie trailed off.

"She wasn't happy when she heard the rumors about the new students," Billy spoke up. "She made me promise not to tell them about our relationship."

"And when I brought her to meet the sisters, she'd used her sonic scream," Frankie added.

"And what about the pranks?" Operetta questioned. "When did those start up?"

"...Immediately after the sisters' arrivals," Iris answered, her eye wide in surprise.

"But this doesn't make sense! Why would they do that to their fellow creature?" Clawdeen questioned. "They just barely met Scarah."

"Because the twins hate Scarah and want to make her life a living nightmare," Operetta answered.

"How do you know this?" Frankie asked.

"Because Scarah told me about it the day those two arrived," Operetta responded. "She ran in here to get away from them and told me about her childhood. Specifically, about those two and her fellow banshees that had tormented her for her early life."

"What? Why?!" the group questioned.

"Because she's a psychic."

The group fell silent at the response, looking at each other in surprise and confusion. None of them understood why that would be an issue. They looked back at Operetta, who already knew she was going to get that as the response.

"Scarah's the only psychic amongst her kind, and for that, she was picked on," Operetta replied.

"You know," Cleo began. "I've never seen Hollie or Shrie read our minds."

"Now that you mention it," Draculaura added, "when we first met them, I asked them what number I was thinking of and they never answered."

"And I've managed to sneak up on them a few times," Frankie commented. "No one's ever been able to sneak up on Scarah without her already knowing who it was behind her."

A look of dawning slowly surfaced on their faces as they thought about everything that had to do with the twins. Guilt also surfaced as they realized that they hadn't been the best of friends to the poor ghoul. None of them had ever suspected the sisters to be the culprits, and had even befriended them. To be fair, they hadn't been aware of the Bellcry sisters' true colors, but the signs had been there all along and they should have looked harder.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Hoodude questioned.

"Because it wasn't my place to say," Operetta responded. "I wanted Scarah to stand up to those two and tell you all what was going on, but she wouldn't do it. And now she's gone and broken up with Billy here, so I figured my hands were tied and had to tell y'all."

"I need to find her," Billy exclaimed as he got up. "I need to apologize."

"What if they try something worst?" Iris asked with concern.

"We won't let that happen," Cleo responded forcefully. "We'll all split up and look for her. That way we'll cover more ground."

The gathered monsters agreed.

"I'll let Abbey and the others know so they can help in the search," Frankie said, pulling out her iCoffin and beginning to type.

"And let them know that if they find the sisters, to stall them," Cleo ordered. "Alright people: let's go!"


	7. Leave Her Alone

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter, which is the second to last chapter of the story. Things get pretty intense in this chapter, so you've been warned. Please enjoy!**

* * *

If students had been in the hall, they would have seen the Head Safety Monitor running past them. Typically, running in the halls warranted a ticket written up by a member of the Safety Monitors and a trip to detention. Rochelle, normally not one to break the rules, was going to let it slide only this once. No one else was in danger of the running gargoyle, so there were no safety issues there. And besides, it was an emergency.

Rochelle had been helping some stragglers get to class when she had gotten a text message on her iCoffin. She checked it, thinking that it was Headmistress Bloodgood or one of her Safety Monitors. She hadn't expected the message to be from Operetta, and although she had contemplated not opening it, she saw the subject line reading "IMPORTANT". Deciding that Operetta wouldn't send her anything less than something important, Rochelle read the text (which was a group text between Operetta, Robecca, Venus, Wydowna, and herself). She read over the contents quickly and, after making sure the students she had been helping would be fine without her, ran down the halls.

The message told the ghouls to look for Scarah and keep an eye out for the Bellcry sisters. She had ended the message with "Scarah could be in trouble" and that was all Rochelle needed to get running. Her gargoyle nature had kicked in and made her jump into action. So she had resolved with herself that she'd find Scarah and ensure her safety while also figuring out why Operetta wanted her to watch out for Shrie and Hollie.

Her first stop was the closest ghoul's restroom. She did a quick check to see if she could find any of the banshees in it. When she didn't, she moved on to a new location, this time heading for the GYM. She would have checked the Catacombs first, but since Operetta called it her place, Rochelle safely assumed the bean si wasn't there; if she was, Operetta wouldn't have asked for help. So Rochelle decided she'd check the GYM since she learned from Billy that Scarah used to be a fearleader. When Rochelle came upon the doors to the GYM, she opened them carefully, noticing that the lights were off. They were always on, which meant someone had been inside and had shut them off. She stepped in and shut the door behind her quietly, not wanting to startle the bean si if she was indeed in the GYM. Taking another precaution, she silenced her mind to the bare minimum.

As she walked more into the darkened room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness fairly easily and quickly, she heard sniffling from the opposite side of the room. Rochelle quickened her pace in her worry, hoping that - if this was Scarah - that she had gotten to her before something happened to her. As she drew closer to the sounds, she heard the monster sniffling let out a slight gasp before the sniffling quieted to nothing.

"Scarah?" Rochelle tried. She didn't get a response, but Rochelle didn't give up and kept moving forward. "Scarah, it is Rochelle. Are you alright?"

Again, there was no response, but Rochelle was positive it was Scarah; the bean si had to have sensed her mind and quieted down. Rochelle continued forward, and found the bean si curled up on the ground against the wall, underneath the casketball hoop. The bean si was wiping at her eyes, trying to hide away any evidence of tears there. Worried for the ghoul, Rochelle knelt down beside her and placed a comforting hand on Scarah's shoulder, happy to find that her hand wasn't shaken off.

"Scarah, are you alright?" Rochelle asked again.

Scarah hesitated, looked like she was going to say something, but then her face crumbled and she shook her head sadly.

"No...No I messed it up," she admitted sadly, burying her face in her knees. "I mess everything up."

"I am confused," Rochelle said gently. "Please explain."

"We broke up...I broke us up," Scarah answered sadly, her voice watery. "I made us do it."

Rochelle blinked at Scarah, guessing that by 'broke up' she was referring to Billy...wait...

"With Billy?" Rochelle asked in surprise. "_Mais pourquoi_?"

"He wouldn't listen...I tried to make him listen...He just wouldn't," she responded despondently. "I couldn't take it...I couldn't handle it."

Rochelle looked down at the bean si in great worry. Her sentences were choppy, like Scarah couldn't properly formulate them past simple phrases. She'd never seen the ghoul so broken before, and it was honestly terrifying. Rochelle opened her mouth to offer some sort of comfort, but was stopped when she heard the GYM doors open. Rochelle felt Scarah stiffen beneath her hand. The gargoyle opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Scarah stood up, shocking her. The ghoul wiped at her cheeks till they were dry, and replaced the saddened look with a neutral look. The transformation startled Rochelle, who continued to stare at the bean si in shock.

"Rochelle, please leave," Scarah requested, her voice sounding tight.

"What?" Rochelle asked.

"Please. I have to speak with whoever is here," Scarah responded, "alone."

"Are you sure?" Rochelle questioned hesitantly, glancing around the GYM.

She noticed that no one was around, which was strange because she had heard the door open. She looked back at Scarah, who was looking at her calmly.

"Yes, I'm sure," Scarah responded.

Rochelle did another glance around before reluctantly nodding. She left through the other set of double doors, glancing over her shoulder a final time to see that Scarah was looking towards the other casketball hoop.

* * *

The twins didn't emerge from their hiding places until they saw Rochelle leave the GYM. They immediately stalked over to Scarah, matching smirks on their faces. Scarah's hands, which had been hanging by her sides, curled into fists as they approached.

"Very noble of you sending away the granite ghoul," Hollie replied.

"Leave me alone, the both of you," Scarah demanded, trying to sound strong but her voice hinted at her previous saddened state.

"Think you can save yourself?" Shrie questioned with a sarcastic laugh. "You're such a weakling. You can't save yourself from us."

"Save?" Scarah questioned, looking at the two in confusion.

"We've been tracking you for some time, Scarah," Shrie began to explain, her smirk widening into wickedness. "We don't want to keep tracking you."

"So we're going to put an end to this," Hollie continued. "We're going to put an end to _you_."

Scarah's eyes widened at the explanation of their intent. Acting in defense, Scarah released a sonic wail to deter them. Hollie and Shrie, just like in the incident at the creepateria, released sonic wails of their own, overpowering Scarah's wail and pushing her into the wall behind her. The two didn't let up in their assault, not until they heard the double doors to the GYM open. They stopped in their attacks and found Rochelle standing at the doors, looking at them in anger and horror.

"_Ca suffit_!" Rochelle shouted, striding into the GYM. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I believe she told you leave," Hollie stated coldly. "You should take her advice and go."

Rochelle stepped in front of Scarah, using her granite body to act as a barrier between her and the twins. Hollie and Shrie stared at the other ghoul with an indifferent look to their faces. Rochelle sent a glare in their direction.

"I shall not let you harm her," Rochelle stated.

"That's not really up to you," Shrie responded casually. "We can't really add you to our casualty list, unfortunately, 'cause the elders wouldn't agree with a non-banshee monster getting hurt in this whole affair..."

"...But we can knock you out and carry out the job from there," Hollie finished for her sister.

Rochelle shook her head and spread out her arms. She was silently scared when she heard Shrie say 'casualty'. They were going to do something bad to Scarah if she didn't do something about it. She just hoped Operetta and the others were on their way to provide some back up. Her skin was made out of granite, but she didn't know if that would be enough against the combined powers of Hollie and Shrie.

"Why do you want to hurt her? She is one of you," Rochelle questioned, trying to buy more time.

Shrie and Hollie sneered at the statement.

"She's not one of us; how dare you insult us like that! She's a freak! She defiles the name of banshees!" the twins shouted in unison. "That's why we're here; we're going to remove this stain forever!"

Rochelle took a step back in shock by the words they had spoken. She had never heard such hostility before; sure, her old SKRM team had always talked about crushing their opponents and cheated to do so, but none of them would have wanted to kill their opponents. Hearing such hostility frightened her, but it resolved her determination to protect Scarah. She would do everything in her power to stop them.

_Rochelle, run,_ Scarah said telepathically to the other ghoul, her mental voice sounding tired. _They won't go after you...they won't hurt you if you leave now._

_Aucun. I won't leave you to face them alone,_ Rochelle responded back.

_Please...it's okay...leave,_ Scarah urged.

Shrie and Hollie shook their heads at Rochelle's defiance, their scorn visible on their faces.

"Tsk, tsk," they said in unison.

"Putting your neck out for a freak, how despicable," Shrie commented in disgust.

"Don't worry, we'll make it quick and then finally finish off the freak after," Hollie added.

"_Hold it right there!_"

The twins and Rochelle looked over at the GYM entrance closest to them. The twins looked a little surprised to see other monsters standing there, while Rochelle smiled in relief at seeing her backup. For a brief moment, the granite-skinned ghoul had thought for sure she'd have to face the twins alone, but that was no longer an issue.

Operetta and Frankie stood in the front of the group, Operetta sporting a harsher glare than Frankie was. Standing beside them was the assembled group of Abbey, Heath, Jackson, Deuce, Cleo, and Ghoulia. Each of them were wearing disapproving glares of their own. The twins stared at Operetta apprehensively, well aware that she had powers similar to their own, and just as powerful. Then there was Deuce, who could turn them into stone, and Cleo with her ancient relics and amulets. Abbey could freeze them with her ice abilities, and Heath could set them on fire with his fire abilities. However, they smirked when they saw that Billy wasn't amongst the group.

"Look at that, the boy isn't here," Hollie taunted her fallen opponent.

"Really sugahs?" Operetta questioned with a smirk on her face, making the two banshees look back over to the group. "I would check again."

Hollie and Shrie looked back over to Scarah questioningly, finding Invisi Billy crouching next to the bean si and cradling her. Scarah looked at the boy through half-lidded eyes in surprise, but Billy was focusing his attention on the two twins, glaring at them with a hostility that was rarely, if ever, on his face.

"All of you are making a mistake," Shrie snarled.

"The mistake I see is coming from you," Abbey responded. "Please, move away."

Hollie clenched her hands into fists, turning to address the group.

"We've been following her for years now, and we will not let you get in our way," Hollie snarled. "All of you leave, now."

"Sorry sweetheart, _I'm_ the only one who gives orders around here," Cleo responded, leveling a glare with Hollie. "And _I'm_ ordering you two to back off or leave this school."

"Oh believe me, we'll leave this worthless school once we're done here," Shrie responded with an aloof attitude. "This school is what breeds things like her."

"How can you say that about her? About your fellow monster?" Frankie questioned, walking over to the twins without fear. "So what if she can read minds? That doesn't make her a freak; it makes her unique! And Monster High is all about celebrating our uniqueness, no matter how different they may be."

Scarah lightly gasped at the words. She knew that Monster High was a welcomed place for anyone who ever felt outcasted; that had been the whole reason she got enrolled into the school. She had been nervous about how other monsters would treat her on her first day at school, but the students had welcomed her easily. They made her feel like her extra powers were special, and not abnormal. She had forgotten all of that, however, after seeing Shrie and Hollie. Old fears had sprung up within her, and had overpowered her reasoning. Guilt immediately flooded her systems, making small tears form and fall at the corners of her eyes. She hadn't meant to think so lowly of her friends, thinking that mentioning her difference would cause them to shun her; here they were, after she had basically isolated herself from them, defending her. Even Billy, who she had broken up with, was there for her, comforting her.

Although on the surface it looked like he was only glaring at the banshees, Scarah could hear the frantic whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. Her mind was fuzzy from the pain suffered by the sonic wails, but she could hear Billy's thoughts perfectly. He was angry at the twins, betrayed by their actions, scared for what they would do, relieved to be holding Scarah again, worried for her and her injuries, and...and guilty...guilty for not paying better attention to what had been going on. Scarah's heart broke for the boy who was blaming himself for something that she didn't fault him for.

She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, that it wasn't his fault, everything was her fault if she had just spoken up like Operetta had told her to do...but nothing came out. She couldn't will herself to speak, and her mind was too jumbled for her to send out a clear thought. The unconsciousness she had been fighting was creeping up on her, and she could no longer fight against it. Her body was aching from the Bellcry sisters' screams, and her heart was hurting from the guilt she was feeling. She closed her eyes and turned her head into Billy's shoulder, letting it rest there as she allowed unconsciousness to consume her. Billy felt her actions and looked down at her, finding her face in his shoulder and her body slumped in his arms.

"Scarah?" he asked, gently shaking her. When she didn't answer, he panicked. "Scarah! Scarah, open your eyes!"

Everyone turned their attention to Billy and Scarah, seeing her knocked out in his arms. The twins used the distraction to their advantage. Shrie focused on Rochelle, Billy, and Scarah while Hollie focused on the other monsters. They released their sonics wails. Operetta released a wail back, battling with Hollie. Abbey wasted no time to raise her hand and encased Hollie in an ice block. Rochelle had fallen to her knees the moment Shrie had released her wail. Shrie was at full power, wanting her attack to be the one that would finally rid herself of Scarah once and for all. Billy was hunched over Scarah, using as much of his body as possible to keep the wail from hitting her. Operetta turned her sonic screech away from Hollie and sent it at Shrie, knocking the ghoul into the wall and ending her attack. Abbey froze her next, smirking at the two frozen ice blocks. While Abbey, Heath, Deuce, and Cleo went to the two ice blocks, the rest of the monsters gathered around Billy and Scarah. The former wasn't too badly beaten up, but Scarah was still injured from the previous attack. Ghoulia was checking the ghoul's injuries while Billy hovered frantically.

"Ughn ughn uugghhnn," Ghoulia reported to the gathered group.

"I'll go and let them know," Jackson offered, already getting to his feet.

When he saw the group nod their heads in approval, Jackson took off running out of the GYM and for the school's infirmary. Frankie stood up next, a look of determination etched on her face.

"I'm going to go and tell Headmistress Bloodgood about this," Frankie replied. "She'll know what to do with the Bellcry sisters."

"I'll go with you," Cleo offered. To Abbey, Deuce, and Heath, she said, "Watch them and make sure they don't get out of their prisons."

"No worries," Abbey assured the Egyptian queen with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "They won't cause any more trouble under my watch."

Satisfied with the answer and trusting her friends, Cleo followed Frankie out of the GYM and for the headmistress' office.

"I will stay as well and guard them," Rochelle offered, standing up and walking over to where Shrie and Hollie were in ice. She turned back to the group. "I will inform all Safety Monitors to not stop you."

"Thanks Rochelle," Billy said with a smile.

Rochelle smiled and nodded.

"It is my pleasure, but you should all go now. Scarah must go to the school infirmary," the gargoyle said.

"She's right," Deuce said. "You guys get going. We'll stay here. Just keep us updated on her condition, okay?"

Billy nodded, thankful for the friends he had. With Operetta's and Ghoulia's help, he managed to get onto his feet and held Scarah in his arms. The three made their way out of the GYM and for the school infirmary.

* * *

**I used Google Translation for Rochelle's phrases because I have not studied French. If it's wrong and you know the correct phrasing, please send them so I can fix them.**

_Mais pourquoi_ = But why?

_Ca suffit_ = Enough

_Aucun_ = No

**I also had an elaborate system written out on the groups that went in search of Scarah. Six groups of three and a group of four (seven groups totaled) went in search of Scarah.**

**Group One was made up of: Frankie, Operetta, and Billy.**

**Group Two: Cleo, Deuce and Ghoulia (Ghoulia received a text from Cleo and met up with the couple; the three met up with Frankie before going to the GYM).**

**Group Three: Clawd, Clawdeen, and Draculaura. **

**Group Four: Iris, Hoodude, Manny, and Twyla (Manny got a text from Iris and joined them).**

**Group Five: Abbey, Heath, and Jackson (the three of them got a text from Frankie and joined in the search, managing to meet up with Frankie before heading for the GYM).**

**Group Six: Lagoona, Gil, and Spectra (the three of them got a text from Frankie).**

**Group Seven: Venus, Robecca, and Wydowna (the three of them got a text from Operetta).**


	8. Acceptance

**Hello everyone. We're at our final chapter, and I'd like to thank everyone who has read the story and for those of you who reviewed it. It means a lot to me that you're reading it and (hopefully) enjoyed it.**

* * *

"Scarah, good morning!" Iris greeted, running over to her friend and hugging the ghoul. "How are you feeling?"

Scarah blinked, a little shocked by the good natured smile of her cyclops friend, but she smiled back at her friend.

"I'm doing fine. The doctors said I'm well enough to attend school," Scarah responded.

"Well you're not missing much," Iris informed the bean si, locking arms with the girl and guiding the both of them into the school. "I mean, unless you want to count all the homework there is. Mister Rotter just piled it on this week."

Scarah offered a small smile at the answer. Her mind already caught on to the questions monsters she passed by were thinking. They were curious on why they had seen Scarah be placed into the back of an ambulance, and why they had seen the Bellcry sisters, frozen in ice, be escorted off campus. The monsters quieted their minds when they saw she her walk by, quickly thinking of something else before she could get there. Images of Cleo and Operetta very briefly flashed in the minds of the monsters she passed, and it made Scarah wonder what those two had done to make a thought of fear accompanied with their faces appear in their minds.

"Scarah?" Iris' voice broke in, getting Scarah's attention. "Are you okay? You zoned out on me."

"Sorry," Scarah replied. "I was just thinking about the homework."

Iris smiled, but Scarah heard her thoughts. Iris wasn't buying the lie, but she didn't want to call Scarah out on it.

"Well don't worry about that," Iris reassured the ghoul. "Headmistress Bloodgood talked it over with Mister Rotter, and he won't make you do them." The cyclops turned her head back to her friend and winked. "But I can help you with the homework if you feel froggy and decide to do it anyway."

Scarah smiled at the offer.

"Thanks Iris," she said. "Has anything else happened while I was out of school?"

Iris shook her head, but Scarah knew that the girl was lying. Iris was doing her best to keep her mind distracted on other things, which told Scarah that she was purposely keeping her mind off any sensitive subjects: specifically, Hollie and Shrie.

"Nothing of interest," Iris replied.

Scarah's attention was moved away from Iris and onto a nearby mind that was mentioning Invisi Billy. She glanced in that direction, and found a flash of a blue beanie before the beanie disappeared. Scarah frowned sadly, and Iris noticed that she was upset. Iris looked over in the direction Scarah was staring at, and saw a blue beanie appear before the person walked around the corner.

"You should go talk to him," Iris suggested kindly.

Scarah didn't respond for a few seconds before she turned back and continued on her path. Iris followed Scarah, looking behind her worriedly when she saw Billy peek out from behind the corner, watching Scarah walk away.

"Scarah?" Iris prompted.

"Even if I wanted to talk to him, I don't know what I could say," Scarah responded despondently.

"I'm sure whatever you say will be fine. I bet he just wants to talk to you," Iris prompted her friend.

Scarah shook her head, willing away the tears; she'd cried enough when she faced the Bellcry sisters.

"I can't. I...I don't know what I can say to him, to you," Scarah replied. "I pushed you all away because of Shrie and Hollie. I thought...I thought you'd all leave me once you realized I was different from the banshees, and that I had lied to you."

"Oh Scarah," Iris said with compassion, pulling Scarah into a hug. "It's okay. We don't hate you, and we'd never leave you over something as small as that. I know that they made you think that your powers was something awful, but they're not. They're really not, and you shouldn't let someone's hateful words bring you down. We're here for you."

Tears fell down Scarah's cheeks against her will, but not out of sadness. She was thankful for Iris' understanding and forgiveness. She wiped the tears away once they moved out of the hug, and smiled in gratitude to her friend.

"Thank you," Scarah said.

Iris smiled.

"Just don't ever forget that I'm here for you, okay?" the cyclops asked, getting a nod from Scarah.

"I won't," Scarah replied.

The speakers squawked and Headmistress Bloodgood's voice spoke through it.

"Attention students, please report to the auditorium for an important assembly, immediately. I repeat, please report to the auditorium for an important assembly."

"An assembly? Well I guess we should get going," Iris said. "C'mon. Let's go and grab the good seats."

* * *

The two sat down in the second row near Frankie and the gang. All of them greeted Scarah warmly, making Scarah blush at the attention. Their minds were filled with worry for her, but also relief at seeing her at school again.

"You feeling better hun?" Operetta asked, her seat next to Scarah's.

"Yes," Scarah answered. "I could have come yesterday, but the doctors thought it would be better if I stayed home for a day to get proper rest. I heard there was a lot of homework given out?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Cleo complained. "It's like he's trying to torture us or something."

"But you don't have to worry about that!" Frankie interjected with her always present smile on her face. "Headmistress Bloodgood-"

"I know, but I want to get them done," Scarah replied.

"Well we'll help if you need it," Draculaura offered. "It was totes easy when we did it in a group."

Scarah nodded, thanking the ghouls for their offer before the lights dimmed and Bloodgood appeared on stage, her head on the palm of her hand. She had a serious look on her face, one she always wore for serious announcements, and Scarah had a pretty good idea on what the assembly about; there was no way any of this was a coincidence. The headmistress placed her head back on her neck and gripped the podium.

"Students, I would like to remind you all that Monster High is a school dedicated to accepting all monsters and their unique abilities," the headmistress began. "This school was built around the belief that all monsters are equal to one another, and that we should accept all of us for our differences, no matter how big or small they are."

Scarah felt a hand on her wrist, and looking over, she found Iris offering her a reassuring smile. Scarah offered a small smile back before turning her attention back to the stage.

"Bullying another monster for who they are or what they can do is not acceptable here at Monster High and I will not stand for that sort of treatment," Bloodgood continued. "If you feel that you are being targeted because of who or what you are, please come to me immediately and we will handle the question as quickly as possible. Your safety and happiness is very important to me, and to the staff. Mister D'eath and Mister Reaper always have their doors open, as do I. You should never think that we won't listen to you and your concerns."

The students remained silent, but Bloodgood wasn't looking for an answer from them. She just wanted to make sure they knew that her door was always open if they felt they were being mistreated. She did glance over at Scarah to see how the ghoul was fairing, and found that she was sitting calmly. Satisfied that the ghoul was okay, the headmistress surveyed the auditorium again.

"Now I am aware many of you must have questions about what happened to the transfer students that had been escorted off campus," the headmistress said. "At this time, I cannot disclose what had happened. All that you are required to know is that they will no longer be enrolled here at Monster High."

Scarah felt some of the minds around her light up at the mention of the twins. Operetta's mind was something along the lines of "Good riddance" while Iris's mind said "That's the least they deserve." It made a smile appear on her face from the support they were expressing. Other minds behind her were wondering what the twins had done to get them expelled, but they guessed it had something to do with the assembly.

"That will be all. You may go to your classes now," Bloodgood dismissed, knowing that it was a very short assembly but one that needed to be said.

The lights brightened again, and monsters began moving. Scarah turned her head behind her to see where Billy was. He was farther back in the auditorium, sitting with Hoodude, Manny, Heath, Gil and Deuce (the latter two were getting up and heading towards their ghoulfriends). Billy and Scarah made eye contact for a moment, but Scarah looked away after a minute of looking over at the boy. Operetta and Iris had seen the exchange and were disappointed when Scarah looked away. They looked up to where Billy stood, and watched him turn invisible, making them frown further.

"We should go to class," Scarah announced, already hearing her friends' inner thoughts.

Operetta and Iris reluctantly agreed to her statement and got up, following her up the aisle. As they were exiting the auditorium, Scarah came to a stop at the doors, and before the two ghouls could ask Scarah on why she stopped, they got their answer when Billy turned visible beside her.

"Hey Scarah," he greeted, his voice sounding a little nervous as he said the ghoul's name.

"Hello Billy," she responded, also sounding nervous.

"Would you... Could I walk you to class?" he asked.

"Well..." Scarah hesitated, turning her head to look at Iris and Operetta.

"Oh don't mind us Scarah! Besides, I think Spectra wants to run an article by me, so I'll go talk to her," Iris lied immediately with a wide smile, already walking around Scarah to head out of the auditorium.

"And yah know, I think I forgot my bag in my locker. I better go and get that," Operetta fibbed with a smirk, also walking past Scarah. "See y'all at lunch."

Scarah watched them leave; only frowning lightly. They apparently forgot that she could read their minds and that she knew they were lying (Operetta had her bag on her shoulder for Pete's sake!). But they wanted her to talk to Billy...and to be honest, she was happy they were gone.

"So...?" Billy prompted.

Willing away her nervousness, Scarah offered the boy a small smile and nodded. Billy smiled brightly, and Scarah could hear the relief in his mind. They walked out of the auditorium and for their shared class. Everything was awkward at first, but Billy finally cleared his throat to start the conversation.

"So I guess you're feeling better?" Billy asked.

"Mhm," Scarah hummed with a nod of her head. "Healthy enough to be at school."

"I'm glad," Billy said. He rubbed the back of his neck with his phasing hand. "I was going to come visit, but the nurses said that only a family member could come see you."

"I was that bad?" Scarah asked; her mother hadn't mentioned how bad it had been while she was recovering in the hospital.

"They were worried about your telepathy," Billy replied. "They didn't want too many minds to affect with your mental state while you were recovering. They thought it would be better if you were surrounded by familiar minds."

"I'm quite familiar with your mind Billy," Scarah reminded playfully.

The invisible boy blushed but chuckled.

"Yeah, but the hospital just decided that you would recover better with just a family member's mind," Billy responded. "And I guess it worked since you're here."

Scarah smiled before looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Hm? For what?" Billy asked, looking at her in general confusion.

"I didn't trust any of you because of Shrie and Hollie. I thought you'd all leave me, or at least think less of me, because I was the only one with mind-reading powers," Scarah answered.

"It's not your fault," Billy comforted quickly. "Like you said, it was Shrie and Hollie. They had instilled doubt in you since you were little, and those just came back. It's not your fault Scarah, really. Besides, I should take partial blame. I should have noticed sooner."

"Operetta told me to tell you, to tell all of you," Scarah said, shaking her head. "If I had, none of this would have happened."

"Well they're gone now," Billy said. "Headmistress Bloodgood had them escorted off campus by the authorities. They can't come back, and even if they did, we'll be ready for them." He reached out and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You're safe here."

Scarah smiled genuinely at the boy. He smiled back at her, and slowly brought his had back to the side of his body. Another awkward silence settled between the two of them, and the two were aware it was about the topic of them.

"Hey Scarah, could I ask you a question about...uhm... when we...?" Billy trailed off, not able to finish the question.

Scarah picked up on it in his mind. Biting her lip, she debated on answering his question, but decided to do so because she owed it to him after everything they had gone through.

"You said a trigger word," Scarah replied. "You were mentioning that we needed to ... well to fix the separation that was occurring. Fix was my trigger word. In my village, the doctor would approach me every day to tell me that he could fix my problem, aka, my mind reading."

Billy's eyes widened at her answer.

"Normally it's not a trigger," Scarah continued. "But the constant attacks by Hollie and Shrie caused me to revert back to that mindset, so hearing it...pushed me over the edge. I'm sorry about that too."

"You shouldn't be Scarah. I was the one who said it," Billy replied quickly. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"You didn't know," Scarah responded, placing a hand on Billy's upper arm in comfort.

"Another thing we can blame Hollie and Shrie for?" Billy joked with a slight smile.

Scarah matched the smile. Tentatively, Billy reached out his hand to wrap it around Scarah's hand, and he smiled happily when she laced them together.

"So...do you want to go to the Coffin Bean after school?" Billy asked.

Scarah's smile widened.

"You read my mind."


End file.
